irishrotter | Third Rising

Third Rising

[Private to all friendly CR, backdated to the 30th]

Is everyone okay?

[Private to Arthas]

[He was a little nervous about this pairing situation at first... but then something very particular about wardening Arthas occurred to him, and now he's honestly starting to find it funny. There's a small smile, maybe even a smirk, on his face.]

Seems to me you've got at least a month-long conflict of interest now.

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[what is this? no. he is not smirked at, he is the smirker. impossible.]

It's not a real pairing. If I graduate, neither of us get anything.

[Oh. Well, that's less entertaining.]

Are you sure?

Did you get a folder?

No, but if the Admiral means for you to be my responsibility for the month...

[He frowns, then frowns even deeper.]

Jesus Christ, now you have even less incentive than before, don't you?

[What the hell, Admiral.]

That's correct.

You'll get used to that kind of executive competence.

If that's really the case, you'd even be better off putting it off for at least another month until you get somebody else.

[Simon knows Arthas already knows this. He just needs to say it out loud. He shakes his head, astonished. This is just a stupid situation to be in. He rarely swears, but:]

Fucking hell, Arthas.

I've been putting it off for years now, I can manage.

[SIGH, DUDE.]

All right. Well. Is there anything I can do for you?

You could ask the Admiral to give me some of my abilities back.

What kinds of abilities would those be?

Blood magic. For now.

I can't heal from injuries on my own without it. Neither can most of mine. I don't know if it's the same for the dead on your world.

We don't heal at all.

[The ugly, twisted scar on his back, still gaping open around the staples, is a testament to that.]

What have you been doing without it for the last five years?

[He sounds curious, not challenging; he intends to fulfill the request, at least unless something suspicious pops up. Truth be told, he doesn't want it to. He'd like to trust Arthas.]

Minor injuries I can stitch closed or ignore. The Death Toll resets larger ones.

Okay.

[He pauses, then adds, deliberately and somewhat reluctantly:] I'll ask the Admiral to give you your healing back.

[Specifically.]

I don't have healing. I have this.

But the healing is what you want out of it, yeah?

That's what it's for, yes. Protection and regeneration.

[There are other kinds of blood magic that do stranger things, but Arthas has never learned the subtleties of those.

A Death Knight skilled in blood magic is very difficult to kill.]

Then I'll ask.

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